Hitting the sweet spot: Engineering the glycosylation pathway of N. benthamiana for pharmaceutically relevant glycoproteins

Samenvatting (Engelstalig)

Plants offer an attractive alternative platform for the production of recombinant protein-based therapeutics. Many of these therapeutics require specific sugar structures, known as glycans, to ensure proper folding, stability, and biological activity. In this study, we investigated the production of glycoproteins with defined glycan structures and explored strategies to improve their synthesis. We used Nicotiana benthamiana as a recombinant expression platform and developed a fast and efficient workflow to inactivate unwanted endogenous genes, as well as identify new targets for gene knockouts. In addition, we examined which enzymes are required to equip antifreeze glycoproteins with the appropriate glycan structures for proper functionality. This research demonstrates the potential of N. benthamiana as a plant-based platform for the production of therapeutic glycoproteins with tailor-made glycosylation profiles.